Monthly Archive: November 2017

First of a series of articles from our visits to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s twenty-five university film schools.

Brian with music production professor, Paul DiFranco.

We have a little secret for you. In the northwest corner of Virginia, in the bucolic Shenandoah Valley, there’s a growing buzz. Not traffic, mind you. It’s the sound of excited Shenandoah University students about to enroll in next year’s first Film Studies Major program.

SU, a relatively small liberal arts college, is digging movie-making in a big way. When music and film professors Paul DiFranco and Glenn Anderson sent out word for student help on their feature film, “Santa Girl,” eighty-four students (including some football players) signed up for the production. With a generous grant from Capital Arts Entertainment and a whole lot of donations from Winchester merchants, DiFranco and Anderson produced a feature-length film – shot in only 17 days in Virginia.

Santa Girl is the story of a slimmed-down and all-business Santa who hasn’t recovered from the loss of his wife, Mrs. Claus. The story will focus on his daughter’s desire to attend college despite her father’s misgivings. After Santa eventually relents, Cassie must navigate a strange new world while keeping the identity of her iconic father — and her own magic — a secret. Santa is played by Tony-winning actor Barry Bostwick and the daughter, by Jennifer Stone of Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place.” The film is in editing now.

DiFranco says the University has a growing number of student filmmakers who have produced some amazing short films. The Poe Film Festival can’t wait to tap into the talents of Shenandoah University at the 2018 College Film Awards next November.

Spellbound we were.
Chicago screenwriter Robert Herzog and his captivating tale of a fearless eight-year-old boy in “Windows Wicked” captured first place in The Poe Contest’s one-day Halloween script competition.
Rob’s script earned the highest first round score in a very competitive field of stories about alternative worlds, ghosts, zombies, people who should be dead but aren’t, and even a biopic of E.A. Poe.
In his dramatic “Windows Wicked,” Rob introduces us to Eddie Quinn, a boy who’s up way too late. He’s training a flashlight on his toy soldiers when something starts clawing at his window screen. Now we’re hooked.
For his highest-scoring submission among the 24-hour submissions on Halloween, Rob earns a $100 cash prize, and a pass to the semi-final round of judging early next year.
All of the Halloween scripts continue in the competition. And we have good news for the runners-up. All of the Halloween stories automatically advance to the second round of judging! Congratulations to our spooky writers (meaning writers of spooky stories).
Remember, the early deadline in The Poe Contest is November 21. Enter through Withoutabox and Film Freeway.
Wait, what’s that scratching on the screen? MAMA!

Congratulations to Regent University of Virginia Beach for its championship showing at Poe Film Festival’s College Film Awards in Richmond on Saturday.
Twenty-three colleges and universities throughout the Commonwealth were invited to submit their finest college films to the event. After three rounds of judging by respected industry directors, actors, producers and production professionals, two Regent University films scored the top two prizes.
Grand Prize winner was Regent graduate student Jarrod Anderson, director of “Changing Jane,” the story of a woman who chooses to encounter a regrettable life decision through an experimental procedure. Best screenplay award-winners W. Adam Burdeshaw and director Nathanael Dunn, both of Regent, topped other contenders with an elaborate short film, “Until Death Do Us Part.”
In recognition of Regent’s masterful wins, the university will receive a cash prize of $500. The award is sponsored by the Virginia Film Office.
Poe Film Festival also honored Talula Mays of Mary Baldwin University for Artistic Merit for her Poe-like suspenseful short, “Delicacy.” The Technical Merit Award was given to Justin Coupe and Patrick Ogden of Art Institute of Washington for their haunting drama, “Autumn’s Room.”

Thanks to our wonderful screenwriters, whose submitted scripts to our one-day Halloween Contest provided much early hour entertainment on this first day of November. Ghosts, zombies, characters who should be dead but aren’t and some nifty time-bending stories poured like bloody ooze into our pages at Withoutabox and Film Freeway overnight.

You should all be ashamed of your twisted storytelling skills (but we love them). Keep those entries coming.

We’ll announce the contest winner in a few days. And remember, all runners-up scripts remain in the contest and will continue on to second readings by our judges.

Poe Film Festival is organized and operated exclusively for Literary and Educational purposes associated with the instruction and development of literary and film works based upon the structural style of Edgar Allen Poe and the public display of such works to a community audience.